The secret to a healthy heart lies in our gut

Does the gut microbiome on the health of the heart?

When people get older, they stiffen over time, your blood vessels in a natural way. This increases the risk for cardiovascular disease. Researchers wanted to find out now why this stiffening of the blood vessels occurs. They found that changes in the gut multiple with increasing age have a negative impact on vascular health.

In a recent study by the University of Colorado Boulder has now been found that natural changes in the gut multiple lead with increasing age to a negative impact on the health of our blood vessels. The results of the study were published in the English journal “Journal of Physiology”.

Mice were treated with antibiotics

This is the first study showing that changes in the gut multiple can have at the age a negative impact on vascular health. This opens up diseases a completely new path for the potential prevention of cardiovascular. In the study administered the research team kill young and old mice broad-spectrum antibiotics, the majority of in your gut-living bacteria. After that, the health of your vascular endothelium was vessels (the inner lining of your blood) and the stiffness of their large arteries measured. In all animals blood levels of inflammatory Compounds was also tissue-damaging free Radicals, antioxidants and nitric oxide measured.

Suppression of Multiple vascular health restored

After three to four weeks of treatment could be observed in the young mice, no change in the vascular health. In the case of the older mice, however, could be at all the above points, a strong improvement was noted. As the Microbiome of the old mice was suppressed, the vascular health of the animals. This suggests that these microorganisms cause something is causing vascular dysfunction. A possible cause, the researchers stool samples from a different group of mice and allowed these genetically sequencing, where they compared the intestinal bacteria of old mice with those of young animals.

What could be found?

In the case of the old mice, an increased prevalence of microbes could be observed, the proinflammatorisch and previously with diseases were. In the old mice, there were significantly more proteobacteria, which include Salmonella and other Pathogens, as well as proinflammatory Desulfovibrio. In addition, the blood level was measured by metabolites in old and young mice. Old mice had three times as much TMAO (trimethylamine-N-oxide) in your body, a metabolite that is associated with an increased risk for atherosclerosis, heart attack and stroke, the authors explain in a press release.

Produced by our intestinal microbiota in the age of toxic substances?

It has long been known that oxidative Stress and inflammation lead to the arteries and, over time, sick. Why arteries are affected by Stress, or ignite, however, was not yet known. Presumably, the intestinal microbiota begins to produce in the age of toxic molecules (including TMAO), which enter the blood circulation, inflammation, and oxidative Stress-cause and cause tissue damage.

Dimethyl butanol blocked enzyme for the production of TMAO

Antibiotics should not be regarded as a kind of fountain of youth for the health of our cardiovascular system. It was used only as experimental agents in the study. There are far too many side effects and other problems, if antibiotics are used on a wide scale. A diet rich in probiotic foods (such as yogurt, Kefir, Kimchi) and prebiotic fiber, may play an important role in the prevention of heart disease by promoting a healthy gut microbiome. The researchers also examined a compound called dimethyl butanol, which occurs in some olive oil, vinegar, and red wine, which block the bacterial enzyme, which is suitable for the production of TMAO. Ultimately, dimethyl butanol could be developed into a food Supplement. (as)